Howard Ashman wrote the lyrics for “Part of Your World” in Disney’s 1989 film The Little Mermaid.
The music was composed by Alan Menken, while Ashman supplied the lyrics. Together, they created the song as Ariel’s central “I want” number: a song in which a protagonist explains a deep desire that the story will pursue. Ariel sings about her fascination with human objects and her wish to belong to the world beyond the sea.
Ashman also served as a producer and major creative influence on The Little Mermaid. His work helped restore the importance of Broadway-style musical storytelling to Disney animation. The success of this film’s songs helped establish the approach later used in Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin.
The song is sometimes credited only to Menken because he composed its melody, but the lyricist and composer had separate roles. “Part of Your World” was performed in the original film by Jodi Benson, who voiced Ariel. It became one of the signature songs in Disney’s animated musical catalogue.